Nas drew my attention to the fact that The Jerusalem Post ran a story today about the on-line reactions to Jordan’s upcoming Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts (RSICA). First of all, the title of the Post’s article — Arab bloggers upset Jordanian school open to Israelis — is completely inaccurate. It was not Arab bloggers who were upset. In fact, both Amin, Laith and myself were absolutely thrilled about the project. It was on-line commenters, most of whom were anonymous, that expressed dissatisfaction with the project. Obviously, the journalist who wrote this piece does not know the difference between a blogger and a commenter.
I also noticed that the journalist — Ruth Eglash — decided to highlight the exact same comments that I highlighted on my blog last week without mentioning the fact that I, the blogger, was excited about the project and without making any reference to my blog. It is obvious here that the journalist did not do a fair and forthright job, as she focused only on the negative comments and reported inaccurate information by referring to commenters as bloggers. What irresponsible journalism!
“the courageous and pioneering aspect of the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan’”
It’s pioneering in the sense jewish IDF militants can learn filmmaking during the week in an arab school then go shoot arabs on weekends. It’s an original concept.
Since we are at it, I say we advertise the film school on KKK and Skinheads websites too, to sign them up for the jordan film school. This way we bring jews and neonazis together to help promote peace and understanding. There has been too much
But I want to make sure the Israelis will not object. HOW MANY ZIONAZIES WOULD OBJECT TO SETTING NEXT TO A NEO-NAZI IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF PEACE AND LEARNING?
Let us hope for many more of such and arts and education projects. Do we not have ENOUGH conflict as it is? CAN’T WE ALL GET ALONG?
ATTENTION SKINHEADS AND NEO-NAZIS: JORDAN CINEMA SCHOOL, WITH A MISSION TO PROMOTE UNDERSTADING AND TOLERANCE, IS NOT OPEN FOR BUSINESS. NO MORAL OR ETHICAL CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION.
I felt DEEPLY BORED in seeing that Ruth Eglash (Arab bloggers: Jordan school can’t admit Israelis, The Jerusalem Post Oct. 4, 2006) chose to focus on purported Middle Eastern bloggers’ ‘stir’ about Jordan’s upcoming Institute of Cinematic Arts (RSICA). Why not concentrate on views of bloggers who have welcomed the project? Do we not have ENOUGH conflict as it is? Do we need to fuel further controversies?
Sadly, this is sensationalist and reckless writing, panders to unhelpful, tired and warned-out stereotypes about what Israelis and Arab people can or cannot do together.
Imagination, it seems, is in short supply. Incidentally, highlighting the courageous and pioneering aspect of the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan’s endeavour can yield even more powerfully sensationalist headlines – if that is all that Ms Eglash was after. The stunning success of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – the youth orchestra founded in 1998 by the conductor Daniel Barenboim and close friend and Palestinian intellectual Edward Said, which is made up of musicians from Israel and Arab countries – surely provides a fine example. Let us hope for many more of such and arts and education projects.
Yours, Elettra
Andrew,
Attacking Israel is one thing, and Occupation is a totally different thing that you didnt even mention in your comment my friend, Israel is hated because it is an illigal occupying entity, if you cannot see that then your racist, its really silly that we have to keep hammering this concept down your throats, because you just cannot fathom the idea that you are in the red, you are an outlaw society that has violated every coceivable human rights, moral, and civil standard ever coined by human beings, your jewish state is a racist concept, and yeah im sure they will blow me kisses if I walk in downtown tel aviv with a palestinian flag on my t-shirt, while in dubai the israeli flag is printed on a monument right in front of the world trade center….go figure……
I have no problem with jews, i have jewish friends, its u israelis that are the cause of problems in the middle east, and as u said as long is there are zionists in palestine there will always be and there must be resistance, you call it terrorism because of your racist brain washed propaganda doctrine.
I also learned something from talking to zionists, there is no point in talking to them.
“yet here is Israel, out in the open, at a time when its waging a racial war, engages in a racial study to detemine the jewish gene. How scarey. The things the jewish state gets away with. Do you think Germans today can get away with such a study? The Israelis are sick racist people.”
Hm… other countries do research into genetics, including their own people’s genes.
However, with a non-exclusive ethnic group like the Jews, it doesn’t make much sense, as Jews are not defined by their genes but by the “Jewish mother or converted” rule. They won’t find anything except that Jews have genes from all over the world, because of conversions and inter-marriage. Perhaps you fell for an urban legend.
Perhaps you are even a little bit racist when you assume that the Jewish state gets away with something while other countries do the same. The sick racist people might be people like you, not an entire group of others that might be genetically related to each other.
I have met Jewish, Arab, and Druze Israelis. I have been a student of the University of Haifa when it was being attacked by a Lebanese militia.
I can tell you that I never supported attacks on Lebanese civilians, EXCEPT when such attacks had a possibility to stop the rockets that were meant to kill me. Then I didn’t care, because the Lebanese militia tried to kill me.
In Europe people draw swastikas on synagogues, in Germany synagogues need police protection.
Walk in Jewish shoes for a few days before you make claims about them.
Israel was the only country I have ever been in where synagogues, mosques, and churches stood next to each other in peace. Can you say the same about many Arab countries?
We can try it out. I can wear a t-shirt with an Arab flag next time I’m in Tel Aviv. You try wearing a t-shirt with an Israeli flag in an Arab city of your choice. He who survives longer can then claim that he was among the less racist people. Deal?
And if the Jews do anything to me I can blame it on their hatred for the Arabs who wanted to throw them into the sea and who have thrown them out of most middle-eastern countries. But I won’t. I will blame it on JEWISH RACISM. Let’s see which one of us will experience racism in its most aggressive form. I am game.
Good luck!
P.S.: Anybody who attacks Israel will be dealt with most violently. That is bad for innocent bystanders, but good for me. Tell me why I should be against the defence rather than against the people who attack me?
“Spielberg’s donations (amongst others) nurtures the roots of terrorism if you ask me.”
That’s true.
As long as Jews are alive in Palestine, terrorism against Jews will continue.
Sloppy Journalism 101
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